Mechanical fishing planer board and method

ABSTRACT

A mechanical planer board that is arranged for use on both the right and left sides of a towing boat and is further adapted to move from a boat side position to a boat rear position upon a fish strike. The planer board includes a body having a housing, a float, an internal assembly, and at least one line clip having a tow arm. The tow arm maintains the line clip in towing configuration until a fish strike pulls a trigger pin to release the tow arm thereby allowing it to swing and lock in a forward position. The board may further include an indicator device to alert the fisher of board location.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional PatentApplication Ser. No. 62/261,097, entitled, “Mechanical Planer Board,”and filed on 30 Nov. 2015.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention pertains to fishing equipment, and particularly toan apparatus used while trolling multiple fishing lines from a fishingboat.

When fishing lines are used behind a boat during trolling, the lineshave a tendency to move to a path of least resistance, typicallydirectly behind the moving boat. When use of multiple lines is desired,this tendency may create difficulties due to entanglement of the linesdrifting together behind the boat. Planer boards are typically used toenable baits to be pulled through the water at locations away from theside of the boat. Planer boards operate to help guide fishing lineslaterally outward from the boat, to allow the fisher to utilize morethan one line, and to reduce the chance of line entanglement. A fishermay employ several planer boards on either side of the boat and atvarious distances from the boat to maximize the area being fished.

Generally, a fishing line attaches to a planer board at two points. Theboard pivots about a forward, tow point as the water moves against theboard to maintain an angular orientation relative to the water andguides the line away from the boat to help prevent entanglement withother lines. A rearward strike point attaches to a baited fishing line.

Prior art planer boards may have several problems. First, they are oftendifficult to use, particularly after hooking a fish. The user must reelin the line, the board, and the hooked fish all while the boardcontinues to move across the water surface angularly to the direction ofthe boat. This is cumbersome and the user is hindered in quicklyremoving the board from the line to reel in the fish. This may causelost fish. Moreover, typical boards are configured to be usable on oneor the other side of a boat, and are not interchangeably usable. Thisforces the fisher to purchase multiple boards, each having practical useon only one side of the boat. This can be costly and is inefficient.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to a mechanical planer board that issturdy and easy to use. The board is adapted for use on both the rightand left sides of a towing boat and is further adapted to move from aboat side position to a boat rear position upon a fish strike.

The planer board includes a body having a housing and a float which aresymmetrical about their length, an internal assembly, and at least oneline clip having a tow arm. The tow arm maintains the line clip intowing configuration until a fish strike pulls a trigger pin to releasethe tow arm thereby allowing it to swing and lock in a forward position.With the tow arm in the forward position, the board moves from aposition flanking the tow boat to a position behind the boat to allowthe user to easily retrieve the board and attached fish. The board mayfurther include an indicator device to inform users of the boardlocation or notify nearby boaters of the presence of the device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective, partial cut away view of a planer boardaccording to the present invention.

FIG. 1A is a cross sectional view of FIG. 1, taken along lines 1A-1Athereof, and showing the locking mechanism in retracted position.

FIG. 1B is a cross sectional view of FIG. 1, taken along lines 1B-1Bthereof, and showing the locking mechanism in locked position.

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the planer board illustrated in FIG. 1 andshowing a tow arm and attached fishing line in a left side orientation.

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the planer board similar to that of FIG. 2,but showing a tow arm and attached fishing line in a right sideorientation.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the internal assembly of the planerboard illustrated in FIGS. 1-3, with the housing removed and showing atow arm in set position in a right side orientation.

FIG. 4A is an enlarged, partially cut away view showing the trip pin inthe depressed condition.

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of the internal assembly illustrating a towarm in set position in a right side orientation, and showing the housingin phantom.

FIG. 6 is a view similar to that of FIG. 4, but showing a tow arm inforward, tripped position.

FIG. 6A is a view similar to that of FIG. 4A but showing the trip pin intripped condition.

FIG. 7 is a view similar to that of FIG. 5 but showing a tow arm inforward, tripped position.

FIGS. 8-10 are schematic top plan views showing the planer boardillustrated in FIG. 1 in operation.

FIGS. 11-13 are schematic views, similar to that of FIGS. 8-10 andshowing the planer board in operation on the port side of a boat.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of a line clip for use with the presentinvention, and showing the clip in the open position.

FIG. 15 is a side view of the line clip illustrated in FIG. 14.

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of the line clip illustrated in FIGS. 14and 15, and showing the clip in the closed position.

FIG. 17 is a side view of the line clip illustrated in FIG. 16.

FIG. 18 is a perspective, partial cut away view of a planer board,similar to that of FIG. 1, but showing another embodiment having analternative clip and trip pin arrangement.

FIG. 19 is a perspective view of the internal assembly of the planerboard illustrated in FIG. 18, with the housing removed and showing a towarm in forward, tripped position.

FIG. 19A is an enlarged, partially cut away view showing the trip pinillustrated in FIGS. 18 and 19 in tripped condition.

FIG. 20 is a perspective view of the line clip illustrated in FIGS. 18and 19, and showing the clip in the open position with a line inphantom.

FIG. 21 is a partially cut away side view of the line clip illustratedin FIG. 20.

FIG. 22 is an end view of the line clip illustrated in FIGS. 20 and 21and showing the clip in the open position.

FIG. 23 is a partially cut away side view, similar to that of FIG. 21,but showing rotation of the clip and capture of a line.

FIG. 24 is an end view, similar to that of FIG. 22, but showing the cliprotated to the closed position of FIG. 23.

FIG. 25 is a perspective, partial cut away view of a planer board,similar to that of FIG. 18, but showing the planer board having anindicator device in stowed position.

FIG. 26 is a view, similar to that of FIG. 25 but showing the indicatordevice in deployed position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Although the disclosure hereof is detailed and exact to enable thoseskilled in the art to practice the invention, the physical embodimentsherein disclosed merely exemplify the invention which may be embodied inother specific structures. While the preferred embodiment has beendescribed, the details may be changed without departing from theinvention, which is defined by the claims.

A planer board 10 according to the present invention may be seen in theview of FIG. 1. As shown, the board 10 includes a housing 12, a floatmember 13, an internal assembly 14, and at least one line clip 16. As isfurther seen in FIGS. 2 and 3, a line clip 16 is supported on a tow arm18 and is adapted to be positioned on either the right or the left side20A, 20B, respectively, of the board 10. This feature providesflexibility of use since a single board 10 may be towed on either thestarboard 22A or port side 22B of a boat 24 (see FIGS. 8-13), dependingon the position of the tow arm 18, as will be discussed.

With attention to the views of FIGS. 4 and 6, the internal assembly 14and attached clips 16 may be seen. As shown, the internal assembly 14includes a trigger pin 26 having a pin first end 28A and a pin secondend 28B, a tapered pin 30, and scissoring jaws 32. A tow arm pivot rod34 having a first rod end 36A and a second rod end 36B is supported atits second end 36B by scissoring jaws 32. A tow arm 18 is pivotallyattached to the first rod end 36A of the tow arm pivot rod 34 by way ofa tow arm collar 38. In towing position, and as shown in FIG. 4, thescissoring jaws 32 clamp the second end 36B of the tow arm pivot rod 34in tow position and prevent it, the tow arm 18, and the attached towline clip 16 from rotation. The first end 28A of the trigger pin 26supports a tensioning spring 40 therearound. A first end 42A of thetensioning spring 40 abuts the tapered pin 30, and a second end 42Babuts a threaded sleeve 44. The threaded sleeve 44 provides variable settension on the tensioning spring 40 by way of adjustment of a springtensioning thumb wheel 46. Tensioning spring 40 biases the tapered pin30 between rollers 48 set in scissoring jaws 32. When the tapered pin 30is biased against the rollers 48, as is shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the jaws32 are firmly clamped on the tow arm pivot rod 34, thereby preventingrotation thereof and holding the tow arm pivot rod 34 and tow arm 18 ina tow position.

With further attention to FIGS. 4 and 6, a retaining ring 50 may also beprovided on the second end 28B of the trigger pin 26. The retaining ring50 limits travel of the trigger pin 26 in the direction of arrow A (seealso FIG. 1A) as the trigger pin 26 exits the housing 12. As shown, whenthe ring 50 contacts the housing 12 it prevents the trigger pin 26 fromfurther rearward displacement. It may be desirable to limit travel ofthe trigger pin 26 to thereby reduce excessive travel andover-compression of the trigger pin tensioning spring 40. Moreover, andas viewed in FIGS. 1A and 1B, a locking mechanism 51 may be provided tofurther prevent travel of the trigger pin 26, if desired. Use of thelocking mechanism 51 is viewed particularly in FIG. 1B. As shown, whenthe locking mechanism 51 is deployed, it keeps the tensioning spring 40biased, the tapered pin 30 between rollers 48 set in scissoring jaws 32,and the jaws 32 firmly clamped on the tow arm pivot rod 34. In use, thelocking mechanism 51 prevents rotation of the tow arm pivot rod 34during a fish strike or other rearward movement of the strike line clip16. The locking mechanism 51 may be utilized when for example, a userdesires to use the board 10 in a conventional, non-trip manner, or ifthe user wishes to reduce false strikes while dragging a bait in snagprone areas (not shown).

Manipulation of the tow arm 18 from one or the other side 20A, 20B ofthe device 10 may be accomplished by way of a spring loaded push button52. As is illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 4A, a spring loaded push button 52is retained in a button housing 54 within the main housing 12. The pushbutton 52 includes a transverse pin member 56 which is adapted forengagement in a pin slot 58 in the button housing 54. When positioningof the tow arm 18 to one or the other side 20A, 20B of the board 10 isdesired, the button 52 is manually depressed, the pin member 56 islowered from the pin slot 58, and the tow arm is manually rotated to thedesired side 20A, 20B of the board 10. The pin 56 is engaged in the pinslot 58 after a fish strike, as will be discussed.

With attention to FIGS. 4 and 6, it may be seen that a strike line clip16 is mounted on the second end 28B of the trigger pin 26. When a fish60 (see FIGS. 8-13) strikes, the strike line clip 16 is pulled in thedirection of arrow A (see FIG. 6) and the movement overcomes the bias ofthe tensioning spring 40 against the tapered pin 30. Continued movementin the direction of arrow A, pulls the tapered pin 30 from between therollers 48 and the scissoring jaws 32 open in the direction of arrow Bthereby allowing the tow arm pivot rod 34 to rotate in the direction ofarrows C (see FIGS. 6 and 7) and the tow line clip 16 to move from thetow position illustrated in FIG. 4, in the direction of arrows D (seeFIG. 6), to the tripped position shown in FIG. 6. With reference to FIG.6A, it may be seen that after a fish strike and rotation of the tow arm18 to a tripped position, the push button 52 and a pin member 56 snapinto the pin slot 58 further maintaining the tow arm 18 in trippedposition. When the tow arm 18 is in tripped position, as is shown inFIGS. 6-7, the button 52 and pin 56 are elevated with the pin 56retained in the pin slot 58.

With reference now to FIGS. 8-13 a method of using the board 10 may beseen. FIGS. 8-10 illustrate a method of use in which the device 10 isused on the starboard side 22A of a boat 24. As shown, a strike lineclip 16 with attached fishing line 62 is mounted on the second end 28Bof the trigger pin 26 (see FIG. 4) and the tow arm 18 is positioned onthe left side 20B of the device 10 (see FIG. 2). When a fish 60 strikes,as is shown in FIG. 9, the strike line clip 16 is pulled in thedirection of arrow A and, as discussed previously with regard to FIGS. 6and 7, the movement pulls the tapered pin 30 from between the biasingrollers 48, opens the scissoring jaws 32, and allows the tow arm pivotrod 34 with attached tow arm 18 and tow line clip 16 to rotate in thedirection of arrows C and D (see FIG. 6). When the tow arm 18 and Lowline clip 16 are in the tripped position shown in FIG. 10, the board 10moves in the direction of arrow D to a position behind the boat 24 toallow the user (not shown) to easily retrieve the board 10 and attachedfish 60.

FIGS. 11-13 illustrate a method of use, similar to that shown in FIGS.8-10, but showing use of the device 10 as used on the port side 22B of aboat 24. As shown, a strike line clip 16 with fishing line 62 is mountedon the second end 28B of the trigger pin 26 (see FIG. 4) and the tow arm18 is positioned on the right side 20A of the device 10 (see FIG. 3).When a fish 60 strikes, as shown in FIG. 12, the strike line clip 16 ispulled in the direction of arrow A and, as discussed previously, themovement pulls the tapered pin 30 from between the rollers 48, opens thescissoring jaws 32, and allows the tow arm pivot rod 34 with attachedtow arm 18 and tow line clip 16 to rotate in the direction of arrows D(see FIGS. 6 and 7). When the tow arm 18 and tow line clip 16 are in thetripped position shown in FIG. 13, the board 10 moves in the directionof arrow F to a position behind the boat 24 to allow the user (notshown) to easily retrieve the board 10 and attached fish 60.

With attention now to FIGS. 14-17, a clip 16 for use with the presentdevice 10 may be viewed. As illustrated, a clip 16 may include a firstclamping jaw 64A and a second clamping jaw 64B pivotable around a pivotpoint 66. FIGS. 14 and 15 illustrate a clip 16 in the open positionwherein a tooth member 68 may be seen on a clamping jaw 64B. The toothmember 68 aids in retaining the line 62 in the clip 16 when the clip 16is in use with the board 10. The tooth member 68 further helps toprevent slippage of the fishing line 62 during use. The clip member 16is normally biased in the open position by a spring member 70. FIGS. 16and 17 depict the clip 16 in the closed position with a fishing line 62in place and ready for use with the described planer board 10. The firstand second clamping jaws 64A, 64B are retained in the closed position byway of a latch mechanism 72 having a button 74 which is movable to biasagainst the spring 70. As shown, the button 74 may be moved to engage anabutment 76 on the first clamping jaw 64A to thereby compress the springmember 70 and retain the clip 16 in the closed position. Opening of thejaws 64A, 64B is effected by toggling the button 74 away from theabutment 76 to allow the spring member 70 to normally bias the jaws 64A,64B to the open position. The clip 16 is further adapted for matingengagement with a tow arm 18 or the trigger pin 26, as may be desired.The clip 16 may include a reentrant bore 78 or other structure designedfor mating friction fit with a corresponding component, such as a towarm 18 or trigger pin 26.

FIGS. 18-24 illustrate another embodiment of a planer board 10Aaccording to the present invention. As in the embodiment illustrated inFIGS. 1-7, the board 10A of these views includes a housing 12, a floatmember 13, an internal assembly 14A, and at least one line clip 16A. Asis further seen in FIGS. 19 and 20, a line clip 16A is supported on atow arm 18 and is adapted to be positioned on either the right or theleft side 20A, 20B, respectively, of the board 10A (see for exampleFIGS. 2 and 3). This feature provides the same flexibility of usementioned above with reference to FIGS. 1-17, and allows a single board10A to be towed on either the starboard 22A or port side 22B of a boat24 (see FIGS. 8-13), depending on the position of the tow arm 18, as hasbeen discussed with reference to FIGS. 1-17.

With attention to the views of FIGS. 19 and 19A, the internal assembly14A and attached clips 16A may be seen. As shown, and similar to thepreviously described embodiment, the internal assembly 14A includes atrigger pin 26 having a pin first end 28A and a pin second end 28B, atapered pin 30, and scissoring jaws 32. A tow arm pivot rod 34 having afirst rod end 36A and a second rod end 36B is supported at its secondend 36B by scissoring jaws 32. A tow arm 18 is pivotally attached to thefirst rod end 36A of the tow arm pivot rod 34 by way of a tow arm collar38. FIG. 19 illustrates the assembly 14A in tripped position. In towposition, and as seen in FIG. 4, the scissoring jaws 32 clamp the secondend 36B of the tow arm pivot rod 34 in tow position and prevent it, thetow arm 18, and the attached tow line clip 16A from rotation. As in theprevious embodiment, the first end 28A of the trigger pin 26 supports atensioning spring 40 therearound. A first end 42A of the tensioningspring 40 abuts the tapered pin 30, and a second end 42B abuts athreaded sleeve 44. The threaded sleeve 44 provides variable set tensionon the tensioning spring 40 by way of adjustment of a spring tensioningthumb wheel 46. Tensioning spring 40 biases the tapered pin 30 betweenrollers 48 set in scissoring jaws 32. When the tapered pin 30 is biasedagainst the rollers 48, as is shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the jaws 32 arefirmly clamped on the tow arm pivot rod 34, thereby preventing rotationthereof and holding the tow arm pivot rod 34 and tow arm 18 in a towposition. As in the previous embodiment, a retaining ring 50 may beprovided on the second end 28B of the trigger pin 26 to limit travel ofthe trigger pin 26 in the direction of arrow A (see FIG. 6) as thetrigger pin 26 exits the housing 12. When the ring 50 contacts thehousing 12 it prevents the trigger pin 26 from further rearwarddisplacement. It may be desirable to limit travel of the trigger pin 26to thereby reduce excessive travel and over-compression of the triggerpin tensioning spring 40. As described above with reference to FIGS. 1Aand 1B, the embodiment of these views may include a locking mechanism 51to further prevent travel of the trigger pin 26, if desired. In use, thelocking mechanism 51 prevents rotation of the tow arm pivot rod 34during a fish strike or other rearward movement of the strike line clip16A. The locking mechanism 51 may be utilized when for example, a userdesires to use the board 10A in a conventional, non-trip manner, or ifthe user wishes to reduce false strikes while dragging a bait in snagprone areas (not shown).

As may be further viewed in FIGS. 19 and 19A, manipulation of the towarm 18 from one or the other side 20A, 20B of the device 10A may beaccomplished by way of a spring loaded button 52A. Unlike the button 52of previous views, the button 52A illustrated in FIGS. 19 and 19A, isfully retained within the main housing 12. As illustrated in FIGS. 19and 19A, a spring loaded button 52A is retained in a button housing 54and within the main housing 12. The button 52A includes a transverse pinmember 56 which is adapted for engagement in a pin slot 58 in the buttonhousing 54. When positioning of the tow arm 18 to one or the other side20A, 20B of the board 10 is desired, the user simply manually rotatesthe tow arm 18 to the desired side 20A, 20B of the board 10A. As the towarm 18 is rotated, the pin member 56 is forced out of the detent 59 inthe pin slot 58, down the sides of the pin slot 58 and lowered from thepin slot 58 until the tow arm 18 is positioned as desired. The pin 56 isengaged in the pin slot detent 59 after a fish strike, as discussedabove with reference to FIGS. 8-13.

With attention now to FIGS. 20-24, another clip 16A for use with thedevice 10, 10A may be viewed. As illustrated, the twist clip 16A mayinclude a rotating clamp head 80 and a stationary clamp head 82 with therotating clamp head 80 rotatable around the stationary clamp head 82. Asseen, the rotating clamp head 80 may include at least one, andpreferably two, spaced apart slots 84, with the slots 84 being locatedacross from one another along the rotating clamp head 80 circumference,and being sized and shaped to receive a fishing line 62. With particularreference to FIG. 21, it may be seen that the twist clip 16A may includea core pin 86, having a cam follower 88. The cam follower 88 is arrangedto ride in a corresponding cam profile 90 on the rotating clamp head 80.

With regard to the stationary clamp head 82, and as seen in FIGS. 20 and21, the stationary clamp head 82 may preferably include protrusions 92to help retain a line 62 when the twist clip 16A is in the closedposition, as will be discussed. Moreover, the stationary clamp head 82preferably includes at least one slot 94 that runs across a diameter dof the stationary clamp head 82. As seen particularly in FIGS. 22 and24, the slot 94 is bisected by a clearance hole 95 for an adjustmentmechanism, such as the adjustment screw 97 shown. The adjustment screw97 functions to adjust the clamping force of the clip 16A and furtherfastens stationary clamp head 82 to the core pin 86. While a screw 97 isillustrated as a preferred adjustment mechanism, it is to be understoodthat other adjustment mechanisms may be envisioned without departingfrom the invention. The stationary clamp head 82 is splined to the corepin 86 to prevent rotation between the stationary clamp head 82 and thecore pin 86 while allowing for axial slippage between the stationaryclamp head 82 and the core pin 86. Axial slippage allows the clampingforce of the clip 16A to be adjusted by turning the screw 97. As seen,the core pin 86 may be provided with a cushioned backing 99 to absorbany differential in clip 16A length due to the mentioned axialadjustment. The cushioned backing 99 is provided to interface with thestationary clamp head 82.

FIGS. 20-22 illustrate the twist clip 16A in the open position whereinthe slots 84 of the rotating clamp head 80 are aligned with the slot 94of the stationary clamp head 82, and a line 62 is positioned in theslots 84, 94.

With attention to FIGS. 23 and 24, the twist clip 16A is illustratedwith the rotating clamp head 80 rotated approximately 90 degrees in thedirection of arrow G, such that the line 62 is captured and threadedaround the protrusions 92 of the stationary clamp head 82. As is shown,the line 62 is wrapped around the stationary clamp head 82 in anapproximate “S” shape, while the action of the cam follower 88 in thecam profile 90 urges the rotating clamp head 80 in the direction ofarrow H and against a friction pad 96. The friction pad 96 aids inretaining the line 62 in the twist clip 16A when the twist clip 16A isin use with the board 10, 10A. The friction pad 96 further helps toprevent slippage of the fishing line 62 during use. The rotating clamphead 80 of the twist clip member 16A may be further provided withlaterally extending flanges 98 to assist the user during rotation anduse. As is seen in FIG. 21, at least one of the flanges 98 may includean excised portion 100 arranged to engage a corresponding detent 102 inthe connector 104. A user may engage the excised portion 100 in acorresponding detent 102 when it is desired to retain the twist clipmember 16A in an open condition, as is shown in FIGS. 20-22. FIGS. 23and 24 depict the twist clip 16A in the closed position with a fishingline 62 in place and ready for use with the described planer board 10,10A. The rotating clamp head 80 is retained in the closed position byway of frictional contact with the friction pad 96. Release of the heads80, 82 is effected by manual rotation of the rotating clamp head 80 inan opposite direction to thereby realign the respective slots 84, 94 tothe open position. The twist clip 16A is further adapted for matingengagement with a tow arm 18 or the trigger pin 26, as may be desired.For example, the cam follower 88 on the core pin 86 may further serve toretain the core pin 86 in a connector 104 or other like structure whichis adapted to fit multiple applications, such as a tow arm 18 or otherstructures (not shown).

With attention now to FIGS. 25 and 26, it may be seen that the planerboard 10A may be further provided with an indicator device, such as theflag 106 shown. The indicator device serves to alert the fisher (notshown) the planer board 10A location. FIG. 25 shows the flag 106 in thestowed position with the tow arm 18 in towing position and the planerboard 10A ready for use. The flag 106 is preferably manually operatedand may be deployed by the user to increase the visibility of the board10, 10A to the user and other boaters (not shown).

Although a flag 106 is illustrated in these views, it is to beunderstood that other indicator devices may be employed withoutdeparting from the invention, including but not limited to uprightmembers, lights, or the like, that are capable of increasing thevisibility of the device 10, 10A.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles ofthe invention. Furthermore, since numerous modifications and changeswill readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired tolimit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown anddescribed. While the preferred embodiment has been described, thedetails may be changed without departing from the invention, which isdefined by the claims.

I claim:
 1. A fishing planer board including: a housing having a centerline, said housing including an assembly arranged on said centerline; wherein said assembly comprises: a trigger pin having a trigger pin first end and a trigger pin second end, said trigger pin having a longitudinal axis arranged on said centerline and configured to slide, with respect to said housing, along said longitudinal axis; a first line clip coupled to a pivot rod configured to rotate about a pivot rod axis orthogonal to said longitudinal axis of said trigger pin; a second line clip coupled to said trigger pin second end and configured to move, together with said trigger pin, along said longitudinal axis of said trigger pin; and a tow arm arranged to couple said first line clip to said pivot rod, said tow arm being further arranged for positioning on either side of said fishing planer board about said pivot rod axis.
 2. The fishing planer board of claim 1 wherein said pivot rod comprises a first rod end and a second rod end, said first rod end coupled to said tow arm; and wherein said assembly further includes: a longitudinal pin including a first end and a second end, said first end of said longitudinal pin having a taper; scissoring jaws aligned with said longitudinal axis of said trigger pin and configured to support said second rod end of said pivot rod; a tensioning spring supported on said trigger pin first end.
 3. The fishing planer board of claim 2 further including a variable tension mechanism.
 4. The fishing planer board of claim 3 wherein said variable tension mechanism includes: a threaded sleeve; wherein said tensioning spring includes a first end arranged to abut said second end of said longitudinal pin and a second end arranged to abut said threaded sleeve; and a tensioning wheel.
 5. A fishing planer board including: a housing having a centerline, said housing including an assembly arranged on said centerline; wherein said assembly comprises: a trigger pin having a trigger pin first end and a trigger pin second end, said trigger pin having a longitudinal axis arranged on said centerline and configured to slide along said longitudinal axis; a tow arm pivot rod configured to rotate about a pivot rod axis; a pair of line clips; a tow arm arranged to couple one line clip of said pair of line clips to said tow arm pivot rod; a longitudinal pin including a first end and a second end, said first end of said longitudinal pin having a taper; scissoring jaws; a tensioning spring supported on said trigger pin first end; and wherein said tow arm pivot rod has a first rod end and a second rod end, said second rod end being supported by said scissoring jaws, and wherein said tow arm is attached to said first rod end of said tow arm pivot rod; and wherein another line clip of the pair of line clips is coupled to said trigger pin second end and is configured to move, together with said trigger pin, along said longitudinal axis of said trigger pin. 